Turn Left
by The-Lady-Smaell
Summary: On the day of the Chitauri invasion Bruce Banner made the decision to join the Avengers in New York. But what if the crossroads had taken him down a different path? [WARNINGS: Implied major character death. Canon divergence bordering on AU.]
1. Chapter 1: The Battle of New York

A/N: If you know where the title comes from then you'll have an idea where this story is going, if not then enjoy the twisty turny ride and try not to read to deeply into my plot jumps... please.

Warnings: Lots of language, complete world fuckery, lots of implied character death, sort of AU but sort of not (it'll make sense I swear)

Turn Left

Chapter One: The Battle Of New York

The trundling sound of an old motorbike echoed along the dusty road piercing the silence, followed by a rising cloud of debris. Slowly it faded away, settling as the veichle came to a halt the engine purring softly. Astride the bike sat a man looking ragged and worm as though he been through the ringer and spat back out again, a world weary look in his eyes suggesting that it wasn't exactly far from the truth.

Before him lay a crossroad a 'T junction' if one was being specific; both of literal and metaphorical kinds. The man knew he had a choice to make, theoretically a simple turn left or turn right but the differences of those two choices was staggering.

Turning left would take him to New York, to the heart of a battle and to people who knew exactly _what_ he was and in the exceptionally rare circumstance who _didn't _care. To people who may be able to understand him and not judge him for his sins, to see him as a person rather than a tool or a freak. To people he could perhaps one day call friend. To a place where he could never fully ensure the safety of others and would always be seen as the monster first and the man second.

Turning right would take him back to where he'd been before this mess, a life of solitude and the constant game of cat and mouse. To days spent running and nights spent half asleep through fear. To loneliness and isolation, small prices to pay to keep the public at large safe from what he housed inside. To a life of rigorous, unrelenting control but one of anonymity and the opportunity to just disappear and be _safe_.

He sat in silence for several minutes pondering his decision, ignoring the tingling sensation working it's way up his spine and the slight headache that had begun to emerge, unfortunate side effects of his _condition_ he assumed. Inside his head he could hear his conscience or at least what he assumed was his conscience yelling at him to stop being a fool. That no one could ever really accept him and that these delusions would only end up with someone getting hurt, with _him_ getting hurt.

The man shook his head trying shake out the cold, tinny voice that somehow sounded exactly and nothing like him at the same time but it was relentless and slowly he came to accept it was right.

Shifting the handlebars on the bike he kicked off from the ground and revved the engine, not even sparing a glance in the other direction and ignoring the quiet, cowed whimpering of the Hulk in the back of his mind.

On this day, the day of the Chitauri invasion; Bruce Banner turned right.

*linebreak*

Bruce had made it a good distance when he finally came to a stop, he'd been travelling for a few hours and the the strain of his earlier 'Hulk-out' was finally starting to take it's toll. In the distance he could see a small roadside cafe and deciding not to look a gift horse in his mouth he kicked the bike in it's direction.

The cafe was as stereotypical as one could get and thankfully to Bruce was as quiet as it could get. There was only one other customer, a large burly man dressed in a lumber-jack shirt that the physicist had the strong suspicion was called 'Earl' or 'Wyatt' or some other ridiculously obvious name. Silently he stalked over to the booth furthest away from the man and sat down, fidgetting with the wire condiments holder.

"What can I get ya' sweetheart?"

Bruce looked up at the woman, Doris, if her name tag was telling the truth and offered a weak smile.

"Uh... Tea if you have it."

Doris smiled and scribbled the order down flicking her white-blonde hair behind her as she sauntered to the counter. Bruce resisted the urge to roll his eyes and instead focused on the crackling television mounted on the wall. It was fuzzy but Bruce could make out the news-caster in amidst the chaos that was New York.

_"... The group calling... Avengers... Extra-terrestrial..."_

The same tingling sensation that had assaulted him earlier reasserted itself causing the physicist to shudder violently and the Hulk to growl beneath his skin. There was something distinctly wrong about this whole situation; he couldn't quite place what it was exactly all Bruce knew was that it felt like he wasn't meant to be here, he felt like he was meant to be somewhere else, _doing_ something else.

He shook his head free of the confusing thoughts that were circling and flashed a slightly crooked, nervous smile at Doris as she placed a steaming cup of tea down in front of him. She lingered for a moment to make sure that the beverage was to his liking before turning around and heading back around the counter. Bruce let out a slight sigh as he took a sip of the hot tea feeling himself relax minutely, he knew he wasn't out of the woods yet but he had certainly made good headway.

He continued to drink and for the first time since this whole clusterfuck of a situation had started he actually had the opportunity to take stock, weigh up his options and figure out just what the fuck he was going to do next. This first part was easy he thrived on calm and dealing with things, this he could do without hardly a conscious thought; benefits of a 'genius' mind. The second maybe not so much he had little money; only what the old security guard had been able to lend to him and he had no passport or papers which meant he was going to have to get creative with travelling.

Bruce was drawn suddenly from his thoughts as the sound of shattering glass rang through the air, he looked up to see the blond waitress staring in open mouthed horror at the crackling television screen.

"Oh my Gowd." She said, her voice weak.

The physicist turned his gaze to the television just in time to catch the vapour trail of what could only be a nuclear missile disappear off screen, he would know, he'd certainly had enough experience with them and felt his heart leap into his throat as his stomach twisted violently.

They _couldn't _have.

They _wouldn't _have.

That was a _civilian_ population.

The 'Other Guy' roared in the back of mind outraged at the apparent stupidity of SHIELD and it's superiors. Bruce thought he'd had the measure of SHIELD and Nick Fury but apparently he'd been wrong, so _vastly_ wrong. Another gasp of horror drew the physicist's attention back to the television and he watched as the missile plummeted into the centre of Manhattan his mouth going dry as he waited for the inevitable Hulk squirmed and moaned and that feeling of wrongness that had haunted him earlier returned with such ferocity that it was a physical pain. Bruce clutched his head trying to will away the headache as green flecked eyes watched the mushroom cloud emerge from the explosion, wiping away the once glorious skyline before the EMP caused the screen to turn black.

Nausea rolled through his stomach and tears pricked at his eyes as he thought of all those innocent people gone in less than an instant, of that group of extraordinary individuals who had bravely gone to war to stop an invasion, of the one person who had treated him like a normal person even after finding out his secret.

It just wasn't _fair_.

_No_ _one_ deserved to die like that.

The only mercy was that it would have been a quick, painless death and even that thought made Bruce's stomach twist with sadness and his head spin; the Hulk whimpering pitifully behind his eyes. Suddenly no longer feeling the urge to eat or drink anything the physicist stumbled to his feet, leaving behind a five on the saucer before practically running out the door as the air seemed to be sucked from his body. He stopped once outside the door and gulped in several deep breaths, the oxygen burning his lungs as his chest tightened.

The roar of engines overhead dragged Bruce's gaze upwards as two more jets flew past and he felt his mouth go dry.

The portal was still open.

The beam of blue light still pierced the sky and Bruce let out s scream of futility. All those people, the Avengers, they had died for _nothing_.

Behind him the physicist could hear footsteps approaching.

"Such a tragedy." The voice was feminine.

Bruce didn't answer but he turned around to face the owner of the voice. It was a pretty woman dressed entirely in white, her strawberry blonde hair cropped into a short pixie style cut and dark tinted glasses perched on her nose, hiding her eyes. She looked vaguely familiar in a way that he couldn't quite place his finger on. The woman stepped forward and offered a hand to him and Bruce hesitated a second before taking it and pulling himself to his feet. Her hand was warm, gentle and calming in an odd way that had Bruce once again questioning whether he knew her because only a handful of people had ever made him felt this at ease. One such person having just perished in a nuclear strike.

"Did you have friends, there I mean." The woman nodded toward the ruined city still enveloped in a thick cloud of dust.

"I ... Think so." Bruce answered, not looking her in eye. He wasn't entirely sure how to answer that question.

The woman arched a strawberry coloured brow. "You think?"

"It's kinda complicated... But yeah, I think..." He replied, sorrow squeezing his heart.

A faint quirk of plump lips as the woman released his hand and stepped backwards as Bruce turned his gaze back toward the devastated New York.

"I think it's time I was going, take care of yourself Doctor."

Bruce's eyes widened as he caught the last word of her sentence and his head whipped around fast enough to give anyone whiplash. But there was nothing but empty air, the woman was gone without a trace and Bruce felt his stomach twist.

_What the hell? _

He wanted to dwell on it some more but he'd already dawdled long enough, to stay any longer would be a risk and he'd already taken enough of those today. He limped back to the motorcycle, his legs feeling leaden and fired it up the rumble of the engine not soothing his jangled nerves in the slightest. Without looking back Bruce swung his leg over and drove off, away from the chaos behind him.

~End Chapter One~

A/N: Okay so the first 500 or so words of this have been loitering on my phone for-FREAKING-ever (Seriously, this is older than pretty much everything Avengers based). I dunno what happened, I just got the urge to carry it on because I really loved the idea in my head. So constuctive criticism is appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2: Six Months

A/N: So this emerged from my head at 5am and took me till 9 to finish, quickest Chapter I think I've ever written. Hope you enjoy and Thanks for the support so far it means a lot. ^_^

Turn Left

Chapter Two: + Six Months

Bruce ducked behind the burnt out ruin of what had once been a modest family home. He held his breath desperate to remain quiet even though he was sure that his persuers would be able to hear the hammering of his beating heart, how he hadn't transformed already was beyond him but he was glad he'd been able to keep control. It would have been really bad to let his other half out in the middle of a refugee camp.

The sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the empty space followed shortly by the clicking, warbly noise that Bruce had come to recognise as the Chitauri language. He could feel the Hulk in the back of his mind itching to be set free but he soothed the beast the best he could, now was not the time for smashing.

And today had started out so well.

Well as well as it could be in a worn torn world.

It had been wonderful to actually wake up in a bed for once, even as old and worn as it was. The lady had been very embarrassed by the state of it when she'd offered but it had been the only form of payment she'd had available to her and Bruce hadn't had the heart to turn it down. He wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth even if it meant interacting with people even though he much preferred to stay alone, it was generally much safer that way.

But much like it had been in Kolkata the reputation of the 'Fearless Doctor' (he couldn't help but laugh mentally at the fearless part) had preceded him, a medic who would go anywhere for any price. He only wished the truth of the reality was quite as noble. He kept moving to avoid detection because lord knew what the Chitauri would do with the Hulk.

Six months, had it really been six months since the clusterfuck that was New York? It seemed like only yesterday that he was sitting at that diner watching the whole world go to hell, watching as the city burned and more troops streamed through the still open portal. He'd turned and ran and not looked back, not once.

So far he had made it the length of the country, down through Mexico and into South America eventually ending up in Brazil once again. It had been hard going, the aliens had swarmed across the country like a plague devastating everything in their path and Bruce had done what he could to help wherever he went, offering medical, engineering and general assistance to the small pockets of humanity that survived the initial onslaught and moved underground into the craters and sewers of their former glittering cities. They were fighting a losing battle but humanity had never been one to walk quietly into the night.

Bruce brought his thoughts back to the present and focused on keeping himself calm. The last echoes of his persuers being masked by the crackling of destruction following them as they left. He'd thankfully been given enough warning to be able to smuggle the family who'd been sheltering him out of the danger zone but quite a considerable amount of the camp hadn't been so lucky. He felt the burn of survivors guilt but he knew if he'd let the Other Guy out things would have been considerably worse for those left behind.

Finally the scout group were out sight and the physicist let out a sigh of relief, slumping against the wall. That had been far, _far_ too close for comfort, he only hoped that the damage to the camp hadn't been too intensive the people there had already lost far too much. Bruce ran a hand through his grimy, sweat sodden hair and desperately wished that there was somewhere that he could take a shower, he was sure he looked an absolute state but even things such as hot water had become a luxury.

Slowly he got to his feet and made his way down the grimy tunnel, back towards the remains of the camp. He knew that his services would be needed and he wouldn't hesitate to offer them. It was slow going, the ground uneven beneath his bare feet but eventually after many slips and near falls he made it back to the small camp. The place was in ruins, fire blooming everywhere and people screaming in pain and anguish; Bruce felt the ever present anger roil in his gut in outrage.

He stepped forward into the fray.

Hours later found the physicist tired, caked in blood and filled with despair. Too many people had died on the table today from wounds that six months ago would have been a fucking doddle to treat but in a world where blood and any kind of medication was virtually unreachable it was a death sentence. It was days like today that truly pushed his will to carry on and made him despair that he couldn't just leave the world on his own terms.

A tiny scrap of a girl pushed her way into the makeshift medical bay, she had been assisting him the whole day with various procedures as well as keeping the people still waiting calm.

"What is it Esme?" He asked in a calm soothing voice.

The youngster looked visibly shaken, nervously wringing her hands.

"There is a lady Doctor. She asked to see you." He tiny voice was tremulous.

Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose, he really didn't have the time or patience for this right now.

"Was she hurt?" He tried not let the terseness of his mood color his voice.

"No Doctor, she looked good... fine." Esme replied "But the lady said it was im-important."

"Then tell her she will have to wait, I've more important things to be dealing than ladies wanting to talk to me."

Esme nodded and scurried back into the waiting room to pass on his message and Bruce let out a sigh of frustration, rinsing his hands in the tiny amount of water he'd managed to scrounge from one of the ruined slum-houses. Composure back in place he turned to his next patient, a small boy whose arm had been broken by falling debris and set about splinting the arm, it was all he could do really but the physicist knew that all he was really doing was putting a band aid over a knife wound. Helpful for less than a minute and,then utterly useless.

It was nearing midnight when Bruce finally escaped the medical bay, he'd honestly never felt so exhausted and worn in his entire life. All he really wanted at that point in time was somewhere soft to lay his weary body for a while before getting up and carrying on tomorrow. He doubted that he'd sleep tonight, there were too many fresh wounds in his psyche and he could certainly do without the nightmares of blood on his hands.

"Ah so we meet again Doctor."

Bruce started, pulling his battered satchel close to his chest and blinked in the dim light of overhanging moon. Surely he was seeing things because there was no fucking way in hell that the woman who had mysteriously appeared and the disappeared outside the diner was standing there right in front of him looking exactly the same. He blinked again hoping that he was just hallucinating but no she was still there sitting in her immaculate white pant suit, sunglasses perched on top of her head. The woman offered him a small, warm smile.

"Your little friend, Esme was it said that I had to wait as I wasn't injured, so I waited." Her voice was light and airy, a stark contrast to the dark destruction surrounding her.

Bruce's mouth fell open in a 'O' of surprise and he shifted under her gaze, he hadn't been able to see them last time but her eyes were a light blue-green in color and there was a sorrow in them that he recognized all to well. It was the sorrow of loss, the deep loss of someone beloved. It hurt Bruce to think that this woman or in fact anyone had suffered such a loss but it was a sad fact of the times they lived in.

A harsh truth of wartime.

Bruce swallowed the lump in his throat and relaxed his stance minutely, he was relatively sure the woman wasn't here to attack him but one could never be too sure.

"So what did you want to see me for?"

He was aware that he was being somewhat short but he was literally bone weary and wasn't in the mood for anyone ranking his chain. He wanted to get this little visit done with as soon as possible, the woman seemed completely unperturbed by his manner and instead laughed lightly, covering her smile with an elegant hand.

"Are you always this blunt with people you meet or am I just a special case?"

Bruce couldn't quite stop his cheeks flushing a light red at being caught red-handed but he merely shrugged in response.

"You tell me, you're the one following me across two continents."

The woman continued to smile "They never mentioned that you are quite the charmer Doctor Banner, I'm glad I got to experience that first hand."

Bruce couldn't detect sarcasm in her tone but he knew it was there, resting behind the casually used words.

"Listen I don't mean to be rude but I'm tired and dirty and really not in the mood for subterfuge. I would appreciate an honest answer."

The woman stiffened slightly and her smile became more brittle.

"Honestly Doctor I came to see how you were holding up. To see the fearless Doctor in action."

The physicist's mouth set itself into a hard line and he couldn't ignore the suspicions beginning to creep into the corners of his mind. No one ever just came to see him, there was always an ulterior motive.

"Well you've seen me now so you can go away."

The woman let out a sigh more of frustration than anger and stood abruptly, reaching out for Bruce. Instinctively he flinched expecting a blow of some kind but instead she lay a gentle hand on his shoulder soothing and unafraid.

"I think under different circumstances we would've become good friends Bruce, despite the fact you push people away using the Hulk as an excuse. I'm used to dealing with stubborn people." A sad look crossed her features "I meant what I said Bruce I came to see how you are."

The sheer earnestness in her voice made Bruce's voice catch in his throat and he couldn't stop himself staring deep into her eyes. After a second or two he regained his composure wishing that this whole scene didn't seem like something out of a cheesy romance movie.

"I'm... Good, all things considered."

There was a gentle pat on the shoulder and then she withdrew.

"Good, that's good."

The pair stood in silence neither one of them looking at the other, the tension in the air palpable. Bruce reached out to touch the woman just to confirm that this wasn't just some sleep deprived hallucination but she caught his hand midway and held it with care.

"I'm real, you don't have to doubt that."

Bruce didn't doubt it, he could feel the skin of her palm under his; living, breathing proof that this was real.

"Why?"

Even though he hadn't voiced his thoughts the woman seemed to understand what he was asking.

"Because no matter how worthless you feel this world needs you, more than it will ever know."

Confused he pulled his hand back and gaped at her with wide eyes while she brushed down her suit and went to walk past him. She paused in the doorway her face oddly serious.

"A piece of advice Doctor. I wouldn't linger here in Rio too long, plenty of other people to help out. Give them a little Christmas miracle."

Bruce nodded dumbly and watched as she walked out the door into the night, her finally words echoing in his mind.

One month later on Christmas Eve Bruce found himself sitting on a hill at the edge of a small village not too far away from the Rio outskirts. He watched in horror as the SHIELD helicarrier launched a final assault on the invaders and was utterly destroyed, massive chunks of debris raining down on the city below before the main body plummeted down and exploded reducing the ruined city to little more than dust.

From his vantage point Bruce wept for the lives needlessly lost.

~End Chapter Two~

A/N: Well that turned a little dark, ooops. Reviews are love and I loves me some reviews -_^


	3. Chapter 3: One Year

A/N: Sorry this took so long... had a bit of writers block.

Chapter Three: + One Year.

Bruce bit back a muffled curse as he was shoved roughly to the muddy ground, his control snapping taut as his face was pushed into the mud and making it difficult to breathe. He could hear a few muffled sobs of fear behind him but not a single protest at the rough treatment, then again he couldn't exactly blame them. Being a prisoner of war slash slave of the Chitauri was enough to break even the strongest of spirits eventually.

Bruce had not yet broken.

After the clusterfuck that was Rio the enemy had stepped up their game immensely, capturing and subjugating anyone who crossed their path instead of just weeding out the troublesome elements. They had set up camps to keep their human captives under their metaphorical thumb and used them as slave labour to build even more weapons of death and destruction.

The camp they were currently trapped in was designated Gamma Zero One and Bruce would have laughed at the irony if it had been a laughing matter.

There was a series of clicks from above him, what the former physicist recognized as the Chitauri language and then the pressure on the back of his head receded. He immediately twisted his head to the side and took in a great lung-full of air as he was roughly dragged to his feet. A rough scaled hand seized his jaw and tugged his head up the gnarled face of the Chitauri commander swam in and out of Bruce's vision. There was another series of clicks and then the physicist felt himself being hauled in the opposite direction toward the execution block.

Inwardly Bruce smirked, everything was going according to plan.

The cell that Bruce was thrown into was little more than a hollow concrete block with a door but he knew he wasn't going to be in there for long. It was really just a temporary thing, the Chitauri for all their strength and intelligence were complete divas and liked to make a show of something like this. Liked to make an _example_, he thought bitterly; fortunately for Bruce this played right into his hands.

He sat cross-legged on the floor and closed his eyes taking a deep, calming breath before delving into the dark recesses of his mind.

_You there buddy?_

The was a beat of silence before a deep rumbling voice answered.

_**Hulk here.**_

Bruce felt a smile break out across his lips. Since Rio, since he had found out what the Chitauri had been doing with their POW Bruce had worked tirelessly on trying to strike a balance with Hulk because as much as he hated to admit it he was going to need the green guys help. Hulk had at first been surly and sullen and Bruce honestly couldn't blame him, for the past six or so years he'd done nothing but try to control, to destroy his other half when really he should have been trying to reach out to him. It made the Bruce feel more than a little ashamed of himself.

But eventually after a lot of effort and tenacity Bruce had managed to find a way for them to communicate effectively and he hadn't looked back since then. The first awkward conversations were filled with apologies and arguments, tantrums and tiffs; but finally they worked through at least the larger portion of their problems (Bruce knew that solving all their issues would take more than his lifetime) and come to an understanding.

An understanding that benefitted them both.

An understanding that they could _both_ help humanity and if they couldn't then they'd damn well go down swinging, a phrase that had Hulk grinning wildly in the back of his mind, like a predator.

So Bruce planned and Hulk executed and as a team they were near enough unstoppable.

_You know what you have to do right? _Bruce asked.

There was a slightly derisive huff of laughter before the answer.

_**Hulk know, stop worry-wart Banner.**_

Bruce couldn't stop the snort of slightly hysterical laughter at Hulk's comment and he wondered just where the hell Hulk had picked up _that_ particular phrase. Now wasn't the time to be laughing though, they had to focus on their mission; people's lives were a stake.

The door to the cell swung open and Bruce's eyes flew open, the gamma green fading back to the regular brown in a heartbeat. In the doorway stood the Chitauri commander and a couple of his underlings, Bruce eyed them already starting to get bored. The commander chittered at his underlings and they surged forward roughly grabbing the man and dragging him out the cell. The sudden light hurt Bruce's eyes and he squinted against it as he was dragged along the floor and toward the executioners podium. Out of the corner of his eye he could already see the inhabitants of the camp standing in formation ready to be shown why they shouldn't resist flanked by the rest of the Chitauri forces.

Hulk grinned _**Aliens stupid, underestimate puny humans. **_

Bruce had to fight back his own grin because Hulk was right, the amount of Chitauri posted at the camp was woefully inadequate to deal with the number of people there, relying on pure fear to keep their slaves in line. Fortunately for them it made their job that much easier.

Bruce felt himself being hoisted to his feet and his arms pulled up over his head and tied to the metal post behind him. In front of him he could see the commander pacing the deck flanked by his guards, he turned to the crowd.

"Insolence... Not tolerated."

The English was broken and heavily accented but it was unmistakably English, for a fleeting second Bruce actually found himself a little impressed.

"Rebel... Not tolerated." The commander continued, pointing at Bruce.

Bruce could feel every single pair of eyes on him, feel the stares, feel the disdain, feel the _fear_ and it made his backbone turn to iron. He stood tall, proud and unafraid because he had already endured so much worse than this.

"Show what that get you." The commander finished with cold anger in his voice.

The sentence was followed by a series of high pitched, rapid clicks and the squadron of guards formed a semi-circle around the bound man weapons at the ready. Bruce felt anticipation tremble through his gut and stared down his would-be murderers a wide, crazy grin splitting his face. The commander raised his arm as the signal to take aim and then quickly brought it down. The squadron fired.

For a moment there was nothing but deathly silence and then a roar of fury pierced the air blowing away the cloud of dust that had surrounded to podium. There in all his gamma green glory stood Hulk a wide predatory grin on his face, fists clenched and ready to smash.

"**Boo**!" He rumbled.

The panic was instantaneous, the Chitauri forces leapt into action opening fire on the giant who shrugged of the attacks like they were raindrops. Hulk just continued grinning and leapt into the fray smashing every Chitauri in sight. The fight was over ridiculously quickly the small numbers no match for the Hulk's overwhelming strength and resilience and the green giant was almost disappointed.

Then there was a scream of terror.

Hulk whirled around and saw that the commander of the base had his arm wrapped around a teenage boy, a blaster pointed at his head and was beating a hasty retreat toward an escape route. Hulk jumped through the air to cut him off and landed just in front of where he was heading. There was a shrill noise from the Chitauri that they assumed was a shriek and he pushed the blaster further into the boys temple.

"Move!" The commander shrieked "Boy die."

Hulk didn't even get the chance to respond, from behind the commander there was the sound of weapon discharging and then the Chitauri just went limp and slid to the floor. As he crumpled into a heap Hulk looked beyond the trembling boy to the woman stood behind them shaking arms clutching a blaster, smoke billowing from the barrel. She dropped the weapon and sank to her knees sobbing silently, the boy regaining his senses ran to the woman and wrapped his arms around her.

"Mama... "

The woman's crying intensified becoming louder as she buried her face in her sons shoulder. From the sidelines Hulk watched in silence before walking over to where the two of them sat on the ground. The woman looked up her eyes watery and gave him a small smile.

"Thank you." She said softly and Hulk shrugged.

**"No thank, lady smash by self." **

The woman's smile broadened as she clung desperately to the boy in her arms even as they both clambered to their feet. Hulk walked past them and into the crowd of frightened and startled humans. Hulk raised a giant hand and pointed to himself.

**"Hulk."**

The crowd just stood in awed silence watching for what the giant was going to do next.

**"Follow Hulk, free."**

This statement was followed by a ripple of hushed murmurs, wide eyes staring up at Hulk with a mixture of fear and hope as they gathered themselves ready for the off. Hulk didn't hesitate and started moving toward to main entrance to the camp only slowing to either pick some essentials (food and water) or to smash key buildings that Bruce pointed out to Hulk from his place in the back of his mind. The idea was to leave the camp as uninhabitable as possible so that they Chitauri would be reluctant to set it up again so soon.

The congregation stood at the main gates looking back at the hell-hole that they had been held captive in for the past several months. Hulk stood with them caked in dust and dirt from the smashing and grinned ferally before picking up a blaster and handing it to the teenager who the commander had attempted to use as a hostage.

**"Smash." **He pointed to river of liquid on the ground.

_Fuel_, Bruce supplied, _blow this place sky high._

The boy pointed the blaster and fired causing the river to catch alight, they watched as it sprinted into the camp spreading out like a Phoenix and setting everything ablaze. They watched for a few more moments before turning around and walking off into the wooded wilderness, explosions quaking every step they took.

Hours later it was already apparent that there were going to be problems, they hadn't made as much progress through the mountains as Bruce had hoped. It wasn't the prisoners fault, months of neglect and back breaking labour had worn them thin and although they had the heart they didn't have the physicality. On more than one occasion Hulk had had to backtrack to pick up a few stragglers (quite literally) and jump them to the front of the pack.

Darkness was rolling in and they were no where close to a safe place to make a camp and Bruce could feel the Hulk beginning to get a bit forlorn. He sent words of encouragement to the giant and felt him soothe slightly under the comforting mental touch.

"Oh there you are!" A soft feminine voice called.

Hulk's giant head swung around and his acid green eyes narrowed as a bright light appeared through the thick foliage. Finally a figure came into view holding a lantern and dressed as in immaculate white; in the back of Hulk's mind Bruce gasped in shock.

**"Red lady."**

The woman smiled and held out a hand "And you must be Hulk, it's nice to finally meet you."

Hulk looked at the hand that was held out him with confusion and a sad look crossed the woman's face. "It's a handshake Hulk, it's how people say hello to their friends."

**"Red lady, friend?"**

The woman gave a nod. "Yes we are Hulk."

Hulk grunted in response and gingerly held out his hand to his woman, who wrapped her hand around a large green finger and shook gently.

**"Why here?" **

A perfectly preened eyebrow rose and a crooked grin crossed the woman's lips.

"I came to help, there is an encampment not too far from here."

**"Camp?" **

Again the woman nodded and pointed through the trees.

"Yes, about half a mile through the trees that way."

Hulk followed where the woman was pointing and nodded, taking a step toward the trees. The group followed behind him shuffling slowly due to their fatigue and the woman brought up the rear helping along the stragglers. They walked for about an hour and then finally a cave came into view. The relief washed over the congregation like a wave and even Hulk slumped a little at the sight. The woman walked up beside him and placed a hand on his arm, warm and soft before walking ahead of them all. In the mouth of the cave another figure moved forward to meet them.

The woman stopped and smiled.

"Logan."

"Miss P." A gruff male voice replied.

"I found them, is the Professor ready for them?"

There was a short burst of laughter like the bark of a dog but it held little humour.

"It's the Professor, he heard you coming from a mile away."

"Of course he did..." Miss P say airily.

The crowd started to move into the cave, Hulk standing by the entrance like a shepherd watching over his flock. The woman stood with him an odd mixture of emotions on her face and as the last person made their way inside she turned to him.

"This is where I leave you Hulk..."

Hulk frowned.** "Go?" **

She nodded "I have some other things to attend to."

The giant grunted **"Hulk see soon?"**

The woman's face twisted into a mask of sadness and she shook her head slowly.

"I don't think so Hulk... I-I'm sorry." A tear rolled down her cheek.

Gently, oh so gently a giant green finger wiped away the tear.

**"Why cry?" **He asked concern evident in his voice.

"Because I'm sad we won't meet again Hulk."

Hulk laughed **"Red lady be first to think that."**

The woman laughed with him, watery and shaky but genuine. "Then everybody else are idiots."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, the woman leaning against him completely at ease.

"I have to go..."

Hulk nodded and helped steady the woman as she stood up.

**"Bye, bye Red lady."**

"Goodbye Hulk, it was good to meet you before..." She stopped herself and bit her lip hard, looking stricken "... Never mind. It was good to meet you."

Before Hulk had a chance to answer she had turned and walked off into the darkness and Hulk turned and entered the cave not looking back.

~End Chapter Three~

A/N: Hope that didn't suck. Thanks for reading. Also creepy foreshadowing is creepy...


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